Harbor Springs

Today I am checking in from Mary Ellen’s Place in Harbor Springs-and here is the update from what has happened…………………………..

Wednesday, September 5 (no biking):

This was an "off day" for the bikers, and a morning that we enjoyed waking up from sleeping in a real bed (hotel).  We met Deb and Julie out for supper last night and had a wonderful meal—a couple had whitefish in a bag and it was yummy.  I had baked whitefish on a plank surrounded by some form of mashed potatoes—awesome!  Got to catch up on laundry after supper!

We had breakfast in the hotel and decided our camp breakfasts have been better than the “free breakfast” we had this morning.  We drove over the Mackinac Bridge—Deb drove as I had made mention that they might hear “little girl screams” if I drove…………………….  We took a ferry over to Mackinac Island and spent a few hours there.  None of us can imagine what that place is like on a summer day—it is plenty crowded for us, and this is no longer "high season."  We were all looking forward to a pastie, and found a place on the island—Millies on Main.  They had two left, so we split them.  They were OK—we all thought they were bland, and needed more spices.  Pat mentioned that they were not as good as she remembered her grandma making.  We did not even buy any fudge even though every block had 2-3 stores on each side of the street.  I did get a sample though, and that was enough for my sweet tooth.

Mackinac Bridge from the ferry

 

 

Pasties, but not as good as Grandma made!

 

Rebecca had her bike tire along to try to find a new tire as well as a couple of tubes.  She had two flats yesterday and the tube that she borrowed from Pat was also getting low.  The tire had a bulge in it, and caused an odd sensation when riding.  We left the tire for repair at one of the bike shops.  If you are not aware, Mackinac Island does not allow cars—bikes are everywhere, and horse drawn carriages are the other form of transportation.  After a few hours, we got back on the ferry and got caught in a bit of a downpour... though it lasted only a few minutes.  We made a quick stop at a grocery store and headed to Wilderness State Park.  We found two great sites, facing the water.  Set up camp and we really were not hungry, so supper was cheese, sausage, and crackers; hummus and chips. 

I think everyone had a relaxing day though we all felt more tired tonight then on a day when biking……………………

 Thursday, September 6 (46 miles biking-total 196 miles):

Day 4 Riders

 

This morning, everything was a bit damp from the humidity yesterday.  Everything was packed and the bikers hit the road about 9:00.  I drove to Petoskey State Park to check out the sites, as we did not reservations here.  The park was pretty empty, but I found a couple of flat sites with a bit of sun to dry our gear out.  I then stopped to get ice and a latte (only the second one of the trip).  I then headed back toward the bikers along 119—also called the Tunnel of Trees.  It is about 30 miles of beautiful canopied trees with great views of the lake along the way.  I met them about halfway and we had a quick lunch.  After this quick meeting, we planned to meet in Harbor Springs for some ice cream.  I found a café to start blogging, and they came along shortly after.  Pat had a flat tire today, so we found a bike shop for a new tube.  Since we were only 5 miles from the park, I left and was headed to the park.  However, Pat's tire went flat while we were at the bike store, so Pat went back in the store and had them change the tube and check the tire.

The Tunnel of Trees on Hghway 119

 

Deb, Rebecca and Pat in the middle of the Tunnel of Trees 

 

After another new tube for Pat, we headed to the campsite, set up the tents, showered and came back to Harbor Springs so I could get some Wi-Fi to finish this post.  Before we left, a little black squirrel came walking through the campsite, with a mischevious look on his face.  We decided we needed to put everything away... then we went back into Harbor Springs.  While I blogged, the rest of the crew browsed through the cute shops and went grocery shopping.  There must be some money in this areas as the cottages along the water are pretty amazing,and we are seeing lots of BMWs, Cadillacs,  and ladies that look like Mrs. Howell III.

We headed back to find that the little squirrel did manage to make it into one of our closed plastic bins, and helped himself to the top of our new loaf of bread!!  Guess we should have put this one back in the truck too (instead of just putting our heavy water jug on top of the container)!  

Squirelly liked the purple cover and the bread inside!

Bec, Pat and Deb got groceries to make our pasta for tonight's supper.  It was GREAT!!  We made mini-meatballs and added canellini beans to the red sauce (along with about 2 cups of red wine)... also made garlic bread.  AWESOME!!  Everyone hit the rack early... no Rummi Kub tonight!